Kathryn Cole

Kathryn “Katie” Frances Hurst Cole was born on August 29, 1925 in San Antonio, Texas. Beautiful inside and out, a tall, elegant lady with a unique sense of style, she was an artist, a creative, thoughtful, affectionate, dear, and loving mommy. Katie had a sparkling, unforgettable laugh; she loved to tell stories and jokes, exhibiting a childlike joy and zest for life, and seemed much younger than her 89 years. She was sensitive and gentle, loved mysteries, reading, dancing, puzzles, cats and dogs, crafts of all kinds, sewing, oil painting, flowers, gardening, and NOT camping. She also loved Monty Python and all things silly, including kitschy yard art (especially flamingos), driving the “Tiger” car (loaned from the local Enco mechanic), and wearing 1920s¬-era swimsuits to her daughter’s swim parties. She saw the good in everything and everyone. We all loved hearing her tales of her crazy adventures with her cousins and roommates in college and afterwards, her interesting OT patients, her little dog, Mickey, and her pet chickens Banty and Jimmy Allred. Katie was born at home to Kate Baker Hurst and Johnson Brooks Hurst, two years after the death of her brother J.B. Hurst. She was raised an only child, but spent many happy hours with her numerous cousins. Katie’s father, an insurance salesman and carpenter, moved the family back and forth many times: to Dallas, Waxahachie, Sherman, Paris, TX, San Antonio, and Houston. Though her mother was an elementary school teacher, Katie’s parents moved again to Ft. Smith, Arkansas, where they owned and operated a grocery store. After graduating from high school a year early, Katie enrolled in Texas State College for Woman (now TWU) in Denton. She graduated with a B.S. in occupational therapy before completing externships in Denver, Montreal, Iowa City, and Kalamazoo, MI. From there, she returned to Texas, settling first in Amarillo and then in Waco, where she met and married Richard Davis Cole in December, 1953. The couple initially lived in Iowa, and then put down roots in Lubbock for 26 years, where Katie raised her children and was involved in volunteer work and study groups. In 1981, Katie and Richard moved to Peoria, Illinois, returning to Waco for retirement in 1993 before divorcing in 1995. Katie relocated to San Antonio in 1996 and in 2009 to Dallas to be closer to her daughters. She died in Dallas on January 26, 2015. She is survived by her four children: David Wayne Cole of Lubbock, Brian Howard Clark Cole (Cherie) of Manhattan Beach, CA, Karen Cole Bieber and Laura Ann Cole, both of Dallas, TX, and her beloved friend and caretaker Jesse Doughty. She is also survived by five grandchildren, Nick and Chloe Foreman, Andrew, Danielle and Britton Clark Cole, two step-grandchildren Emily and Nick Bieber, and one great grandchild, Alex Kaleo Foreman. She was preceded in death by her parents and her son¬-in¬-law Michael Bieber. A memorial celebration will be held in Dallas in the Caldwell Room of University Park United Methodist Church on Saturday, February 14, at 11:00 AM. Memorial contributions can be made to the American Diabetes Association - www.diabetes.org or 800-342-2383 - in her name. We loved her deeply and will never forget her. We are greatly saddened by our loss, but comforted to have had her for so long.